The Implications of the Russia–Ukraine War on Sustainable Development Goals in Africa

Abstract

The existing discourses on the Russia–Ukraine war mainly focus on the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the implications for the global economy. There is a lack of policy and scholarly attention to how the war threatens the prospects for realising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Underpinned by a critical document analysis of secondary sources available in academic and grey literature and focusing on Africa, the article explores various global challenges ensuing from the crisis. It demonstrates how such challenges impact prospects for achieving SDGs in Africa. Using the first two SDGs as an example, the study found that with the disruption of the global supply chain by the war and the international sanctions imposed on Russia, Africa now experiences food commodity and energy shortages, soaring inflation, and commodity price hikes which now threatens to worsen poverty and hunger. The article recommends that Africa prioritise structural change and regional cooperation, reconsidering the global financial system and how development finance is structured and maintaining a steady commitment to building resilience. Future research could be focused on the effectiveness of non-sanctions-based conflict resolutions.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Criminology and Criminal Justice

“…The threat to security is apparent not only due to the potential expansion of the war to NATO countries but also because of the disruption of trade routes that provide regions of the world with food and clean water. This chapter expands the scarce literature on the implications of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the achievement of sustainable development goals globally and raises serious concerns about the effects of the war-induced disruption of the global supply chain (e.g., Bin-Nashawan et al, 2024;Masys, 2023;Mhlanga & Ndhlovu, 2023;Pereira et al, 2022). Pereira et al (2022) argue about the extent of the war's effects on the regional and global SDGs and economic SDGs at the global level.…”

Long-Term Forecasting: A MAED Application for Sierra Leone’s Electricity Demand (2023–2050)

“…Producing accurate demand forecasting is challenging due to the role of unpredictable trends and external factors which can influence energy demand and consumption [22]. Sierra Leone's electricity sector has historically been impacted by external shocks such as COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, and it is likely to be impacted further in the future [9]. However, it is challenging to adequately represent and integrate such unpredictable external shocks into demand projections.…”

“…Sierra Leone's energy system advancement and development was severely impacted by national events, including the Ebola disease outbreak [7]. Additionally, global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid iron ore price decline, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are further inhibiting energy system supply, investments, and clean energy technological expansion [8,9]. These external shocks remain key barriers experienced by Sierra Leone in its electrification and energy advancements efforts.…”

From acute food insecurity to famine: how the 2023/2024 war on Gaza has dramatically set back sustainable development goal 2 to end hunger

“…Food insecurity is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity today, especially with the growing outbreak of pandemics and armed conflicts, and wars, which are widely recognised as the main contributors to food insecurity in various parts of the world. Particularly the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have been extensively explored in recent studies, showing that these two extraordinary crises have been the most important drivers of food insecurity globally (Béné et al, 2021;Jagtap et al, 2022;Barakat et al, 2023;Mhlanga and Ndhlovu, 2023;Xu et al, 2023).…”